Brooder



Jan. l, 1935. J. H. CONWAY Er AL 1,986,501

BROODERQ Filed Aug. 23, 195O 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 1, 1935---, 1 J. H.-CONWAY AL 7 1,986,501

BROODER Fileql Aug. 23, 1950 2 She e ts-Sheet 2 UN E STATES PATENT orries nnoonnn John H. eolamme sa .r. Hamlin, Rock- V v ford, Ill., assignors 00., j ltockford, 111.

* ckforaribreodntainer I m ges of I ois Application'kAugust 2 1936, serial. No; 47%,198

it Our invention relates to con ibined shipping containers and brooders*ai'lapted to be employed for shipping chicks from the hatchery-'to -the' purchaser and so arranged that'the-purchaser may readily make slight alterationstherein continue the useth'ereofas'a brooder Devices of this general character,

1o eral, been somewhat expensive to manufacture;

have served only during a single brooding period, and have had certain serious disadvantages. For. example, nomeans have been provided'for properly admitting light into the container aside from This has "meant thecustomary feeding holes. that the user must either totally exclude light or mustcompletely remove the top of the container to admit light therein; which is many times highly disadvantageous? In:like manner; 3: no means have been provided-forcatchingjthe refuse from the container either whilein trans'it or while being used as a brooder. Further, the construction of the device hasnot been such' that the corrugated paper portions thereof, which I are relatively'temporary-innature,;may be re-f placed so that the remainder andrela'tively ex-f pensive parts of the device may be usedsuccessively.

We have, therefore, aimed to provide acom 30 bined shipping container and brooder wherein the amount of light adn iitted into the container may be varied dependingupon the age of the chicks contained therein. l

Another objectbfthe invention is thep rovision of a structure of this character wherein the sides. and top are cheaply replaceable wherebyitjmay be used for successive broodings.

A further object of'the invention i sthe p ro intervals for cleaning. 4

of a device of this: character havinga curtain arranged to divide the containervintoitwo ori 'nore I pass.

ormed largely of corrugated paper: or the likeQhave been known in the past, but these hav','ir1 gen-f vision of a combined shipping container and brooder having' a (tray: arranged tolbe fixed to the? bottom of the container during shipment to. catch the refuse andprevent drafts on thechicks and to be movable by theuserto a;lower posi tion from which positionitmay be removed at.

compartments. between which the; chicks may amounts of light "depending upon the age of the chicks. i

' Another object ofthe invention is the provision Afurther object 1of-tlie invention is the provision of feedingholes of improved shape characteristics arrangedto accommodate chicks of varying ages. i I

' Other {objects and attendant advantages will become apparent to those skilled inthe art from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in vvhich- V Figure is a p rspective view of the device 5 showing its appearance when employedas a shipping container; i

Fig, 2 is -afrag'mentary top viewof the device, with the coverremoved, showing the troughs secured within the container for shipment; l

Fig. '3 is a vertical section through the container taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4; n

Fig; 4 is a vertical section through the con-. tainer at right angles to Fig.3 taken on the line r; 1' n Fig. 5 [is a detail view taken on the line 5--5 0fFig.2;and I 1 The device consists in a general way of a frame having a' screen stretched thereon to form the base of the containerl Upright side walls are removably positioned upon the frame, and amp rests overfthe side walls. Legs on theframe serve to support the containerinspaced relation with the floor or other supporting body and to hold a' refuse pan. A sheet o'f transparent material capable of 1 passing ultra-violet rays such as (lell-o Glass for example is positioned in the walls or top of the container to admit light 6 therein and a series of holesare positioned A in one or more sides of the container through which the chicks may pass their heads in feeding from a trough positioned on the outside of the container and supportedbetween the side walls andthe fram'en'An electric lamp or other suit- Another ob ect of the invention is the .PIOVISIOIL.

Referring now to the drawings, and more par-l ticularly to Figs; 1;3 and lfa frame is formed5o" 3 l of corner portions8, 9', 10 and 11 of suitable sheet A still furtherobject of the inverltionis the provision of a device of this character-having an ultra-violet ray- ;transmitting window and 'rne'ans' 5 covering said window arrangedto admit varying.

metal; connected together at their ends to form a rectangularframe. Each of thecorner portioris is provided with an upstandingportion 12 and-ahorizontalportion 13, as shown in Fig. 5. 5

2 It will be seen that these corner portions may be formed from a single piece of metal, if desired, welded .or otherwise connected at but a single point, or they may be formed in any suitable or Side walls 21, 22, 23 and 24 are'formedprefdesired manner. Two pairs of legs, designated by the numerals 14 and 15 and 16 and 17 may be secured to the frame on opposite sides to space the latter from its supporting body. Each of these legs may advantageously be formed from a strip 'of sheet metal bent to form a V, the free ends of the metal being spot welded or otherwise "to the upper side of the framewith a minimum amount of expense and effort. Tongues 20'are' struck fromthe horizontal portions 13 at intervals and are'bent upward substantially parallel with the verticalportions 12 andspaced therefrom, as.

shown in Fig. 5, for the purposeof supporting the side walls presently to be described. A downwardly and inwardly extending projection 20 maybe formed on each of the tongues 20 adapted, through frictional contactswith the sidewalls, to pierce the fiber if the walls move upward to prevent them from slipping out.

erably of corrugated box board. Artificial lumhear, such as pressed board of vegetable fibers of the nature of Insulite, Maizewood and the:

like may be employed, the desiredcharacteristics being lightness andcheapness. The box board, a term which we shall employ to mean any material of this nature, may advantageously be further improved by treating it with a suitable waterproofing agent such as parafiine'or other agent to increase the life thereof in service. The side walls are of sufficient length to be received in the corner 'portions8, 9, and 11, as shown in Figs. 3, a and 5, to closely fit against the inner side of the vertical portions 12 thereof. and may,

be of any suitable or desired height. The side walls may be formed by suitably cutting and bending a sheet of box boardand connectinglthe free ends together or they may be formed from:

separate sheets and be connected in any well known manner. It is desirable, however, that they be connected to form a unitary structure. The lower edges of the side walls are secured within the frame through the tongues 20, the space between the tongues and the vertical pore tions 12 being of such width as to receive the side wall therebetween. .The tongue may be in-- clined slightly toward the vertical portion 12 near its upper end seas to, exert a clamping force upon the side wall. a

The side walls 21 and 22 are provided with holes 38 and 39 near the lower edges thereof, the openings being of such size as to permit the chicks to pass their heads therethrough to obtain food and water. We havefound it to be advantageous to makethese holes oblong in shape of such width that the chicks cannot pass through but of such length as to permit their use by chicks of different heights andtopermit vertical movement of the chicks? heads while eating. We have found one suitable size to be A wide and 1 long.

is,,of conventional design. It is formed of box board and has-the edges 26 thereof turned down a dio Slip. Over, th outer d -.91"; th :.,si. e w ll T Glass.

isfactorily lighted. A sheet of transparent ma-- terial 29 is positioned over the opening. 28 by means of strips of adhesivetape 30, 31, 32 and 33, which pass along the junction between the transparent material and the top 25. While any transparent material may be employed for this purpose we have found it to be highly advantageous to employ a material capable of transmitting ;ultra violet light and one having a certain amount ot'elasticity. Such a material is found on the market under the trade name Cell-O- It will be'seen that under certain circumstances it may be desirable to provide the window formed by the opening 28 and the transparent material 29 in one of the side walls 21, 22, 23 015,24. Such a structurewill enable a number of containers tobe placedone upon the other without, excluding the sunlight from the interior of thecontainer. 1

Chicks areplaced in shipping containers of this character whenvery young, and under these circumstances in; the presence of light tend to become cannibalistic and peck each other. This tendency gradually decreases asthe age of the chicks increases. It is, therefore, desirable to permit: progressively increasing quantities of light toenter the container, the amount dependinguponthe age of the chicks. In order to acquaintthe user, withthe proper amount of light to be admitted at various periods we have providedablind 34 arran ed to completely cover the transparent material 29, thereby completely preventing the passage of light therethrough. This lind may. adv n a usly e f rm d of p p which may be readily perforated or marked. The blind-is provided with perforations or marks 35 designating certain-areas thereon which should be torn oii by the user at certain periods. Di-

recting attention to-Fig. 1, the userwill first be directed to tear off, for example, the portion designated bythe numeral36, thus admitting a certain amount of light through the window. He will further bedirected to remove, for example, the area 3'1- after the lapse of a certain further period of time. The instructions thus direct the user to remove successive areas of paper, the amount of which is predetermined and indicated by the lines or perforations 35,, after the lapse of succeeding periodsof time'until all of the blind has been removed. In this manner the user is prevented from ignorantl'y or accidentally admitting more than the desired amount of light to the chicks in the container,

The strips of tape 30, 31, 32' an d 33 may be employed forsecuring the blind to the transparent material 29'aswell as for securing the transparent material to the cover 25. Thus if the blind 34-"i's madeof slightly smaller dimensions than the transparent material 29 the tape will secure the edges of each of these units to the. top 25, as shown in Fig. 6'. I

-A' trough, designated generally by the numeral 40, which may advantageously be rectangular in shape to'providean inner wall 41, is positioned adjacent to the side wall 21 by means of a lip A top designated generally by the numeral- 42c nneeted to th me of th trou h and proielct ngdownward. therefrom para l l with the nner.- wall i= thereof. the lip 42 being a anged tab e, inserted between the vertical portion 12 of .one chamber to the other.

blind. The sheet of .Cell-O-Glass may then. be removed from the old top and secured to the theucoifner'portiom and th-lowerxedge' of the sidewall, 21, .es shown in Fig. 3.- This trough may be formed in any well known or desired mane verticalportion 12.0f the corner portion. 9' and the side wall 22, as shown in Fig. 4.- When the device is used as a shipping container the troughs and 43 arewpositionedagainstthe inner side of theside walls ;21 and, 22 covering the openings 38.and 39, asshowriin-Fig. 2. The trough .43 is secured in this position by means of wires and 46 which pass through two of the openings 39 andaround the corner portion 9; andthe trough 43. In. like manner the trough 40 is secured over the open ngsv 38. by means of wires 47 and 48 passing through two of. the openings 38 and aroundthe corner portion 8:. Thus when the user receives the container holding the chicks he ree moves the cover from the container, cuts thewires 45, 46, 4'7 and 48 and placesthe troughs 40 and 43 in position on the outsideof the container, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4. g

In order to protect the chicks fromfcontact with the heatinglamp and to-heat the container by. circulation a metaltube 49 is positioned upon the screen18 near the side wall 23and beneath theopening 2'7 in-the top. Thetube may be attached. to thescreen 18 by means of fingers 50 clampingoneor more strands of the screen. An electric socket 51; ghavingconventional wires 52, issecured in'a-plate. 53, of a size larger than the opening 127fso that :when the socket 51 is posi tioned in; the opening 27 the plate 53 will close i the opening.;; An electric bulb 54 is secured to the socket 5 1 and positioned :inthe tube 49. The lighting of the bulb 54 provides sufficient heat to warmthe container; the warm air rising in the tube 49 causingapirculationin the container. A

curtain 55 is secured to-the top 25 and extends transversely across the interior of the container, dividing the same into two compartments, one

containing the tube 49 and one having the window. Tlhe .c'urtain.55 is of such a natureas to permit the chicks to displace A pan, designated generally by the numeral56, is positioned beneaththe screen l8 for the purpose of catching refuse passing therethrough, This pan is of suf-.

ficient. size to extend beyond the-exposed pore (tions of the screen 18. When the device is used as a shipping container the pair 56 is wired firmly against .the frame by means of wires, not shown, passing'through openings 57 and58 at each cor ner of the pan andaround oneor more strands ofjthe screen. 18.! However, when the container reaches the usenwho isto employ it as a brooder, the wires are removed and the pan allowed to occupy a position spaced'fromthescreen 18 whereby it maybe removed forfcleaning. In order to support "thepan 56 in "spaced relation with the screen 18, V-shaped supporting blocks 59 are provided and secured to each of the legs 14, 15, 16 and 17, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The pan rests upon the apexes of the V-shaped supporting blocks 59 and may slide freely thereupon.

When the container has been used for a season, or a brooding period, and the side walls and top have become damaged, the user may purchase a replacement includinga top, side walls, blind, and tape for'attaching the window and t. a d ba s f new one, together with the new blind, by means of: the tape; The old top and side walls are discarded and the. new top and side walls assembled Thus at a few cents cost a sub- 4 on the frame. stantially new brooder is obtained.

The advantages of our improved construction will have become apparent to those skilled in the arts; We have provided a permanent frame wherein the side walls maybe readily interchanged when they become. saturated with moisture or become dirty, the expense of such a change being relatively small. We have so. arranged the CellO-. Glass; window and the blind thereof that it may readily be removed. from the top and be replaced together with a new blind upon a new top. In this, manner the only portions of the brooder requiring change are the side walls and the top which are formed. entirely of box board and maybeprovided at-the expense of but a few cents.

We have provided a. combined shipping container and brooder having means forjcatching the refuse during shipment and means for periodically, removing the refuse during the period in .whichthe device is used as a brooder. The refuse may; be removed without lifting the cover from the brooder and exposing the chicks to the cold air. s i

We have provided a heater which brings about a circulation of air through the heated compartment thereof. a

u The device is such that substantially true sun light is admitted into the container and the user is informed of the proper amount of light to be admitted Means are thus provided for measur: ing the amount of this permissible light.

We have provided improved means for con necting thefood and water trays to the con tainer whereby they are easily removable for g cleaning and wherein the paper of the side walls need not be weakened by forming a cut therein to support the troughs. The design of the device is such that the feeding holes in the side walls,

at this time, and when the device is used as a brooder. i i The device is such that but a very small amount of, the space of the container is taken up by the troughs and heater while the same is being used as ashipping, container. i

The device is such that it may be manufactui'ed at a substantiallysmaller cost than other devices of like character and may be continued in use during a long period of time by periodical replacement of the side walls and trough at very small cost.

While we have thus described and illustrated a specific embodiment of our inventionwe are aware that numerous alterations and changes maybe made therein without materially departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, in which- We claim: i

i 1. The combination in a shipping container and brooder of a sheet metal frame having integral horizontal and vertical portions, a wire means on said frame for releasably holding said sidewalls to permit the latter to be readily rescreen, tongues on said horizontal portions for securing said screen across said frame, said frame and said screen forming a unitary base, tongues on said horizontal portions substantially-parallel to said vertical portions, and side walls positioned on said frame between said vertical portions and saidtongues adapted to beremovably held through frictional contact therewith.

2. The combination in a shipping container and brooder of a frame, a screen forming a bottom for said frame, side walls of fibrous material,

placed when damaged, a tray beneath said screen movable between an upper position for shipment to provide a solid bottom for said container and to exclude drafts, and a lower remoV-' able position spaced from said screen to catch the refuse falling through said screen, and means for supportin'gfsaid tray in each of said positions.

1 3. The combination in a shipping containerand brooder of a frame, a screen forming a'bottom for a said frame, side walls of fibrous material, 'means on said framefor releasably holding said side walls to permit the latter to be readily replaced when damaged, a tray beneath said'screerr movable between an upper position for shipment to provide a solidbottom for said containe'r and exclude drafts, and a lower removable position spaced from said screen to catch the refuse falling through said screen, means for fixedly supporting said tray in said upper position, and means for slidably supporting said tray in said lower position.

'4. The combination in a shipping container and brooderof a base, 'side walls of box board secured to said base, a' top over said side walls having an 7 opening therethrough' to the interior of the container, said top including transparent material secured over said opening to admit light therein, and a blind over said transparent material adapted to prevent the passage of light through said material, said blind hav' ing divisions thereon toindicate portions thereof to be removed at intervals during the brooding operations, to admit increasing quantities of light to chicks in said container as the age of the chicks increases. a

5. The combination in a shipping container 5 and brooder of a base, side walls of boxboard secured to said base, atop over said side walls having an opening therein, said top including transparent material positioned over said opening to admit light into said container, a paper blind positioned over said transparent material to prevent the passage of light therethrough, and perforations insaid paper to permit the same to be torn to remove predetermined areasof said blind from I tainer may be periodically increased said transparent material at predetermined times, whereby the amount of light entering said conwith the age of said chicksin said container.

6. The combination in a shipping container and brooder of a base, side walls of box board secured to said base, a top over said side walls having an opening therein, said topincluding a sheet of transparent material of greater size than said opening positioned thereover to admit light into said container, a blind of lesser size than said transparent material positioned thereon, and adhesive tape positioned to secure the edges of said blind and said transparent material to said top,'whereby said transparent material may be removed from one top and placed on a second top, replacing the first l 7. The combination in a shipping container and brooder of a sheet metal frame having integral horizontal'and vertical portions, a Wire screen on said frame arranged to provide a bottom therefor, side walls of box board secured to said frame, at least one of said-walls having a plurality of holes'throughwhichchicks in said container may pass their heads, a trough arranged to occupy an operative position secured to saidframe outside said container to hold a quantity of food, shaped to be positioned in an inoperative position Within said container across the holes in said side wall, to prevent the access of chicks thereto during shipment, and means for securing said trough in said last'mentioned position.

8. The combination in a shipping container and brooder of a sheet metal frame having integral horizontal and vertical portions, a wire screen on said horizontal portions supported across said frarna tongues on saidhorizontal portions substantially parallel to saidvertical portions, side walls positioned on said frame between said ver- 7 tical portions and said tongues, adapted to be held 1 inside of said container closing said holes, means for securing said trough in the last mentioned position, a tray beneath said screen, and means for securing said tray in an upper position for I shipment and a lower removable position spaced from said'screen tocatch the refuse falling therethr'ough.

9. The combination in a, combined shipping containerand brooder, or" a container having a 1 bottom, sidewalls and top, one of said side walls having a plurality of feedingholes positioned and shaped for the reception of the head of a chick, means for securing a feeding trough at the outside of said container in position to be reached by the chicks through said holes, and means including a feeding trough secured across said holes for closing said holes during shipment of chicks in the container, to prevent the chicks from extending their heads the'rethrough.

- JOHN H..CONWAY.

FREDERICK J. HAMLIN. 

